US PRESIDENT, TRUMP FORMER LAWYER BAGS THREE YEARS IMPRISONMENT

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President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for orchestrating hush payments to women, in violation of campaign laws, before the 2016 election and financial crimes, posing potential legal and political risks to Mr Trump.

In the courtroom, Cohen told US District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan that “blind loyalty” led him to cover up for Mr Trump. The sentence imposed by Judge Pauley was a modest reduction from the four to five years recommended under federal guidelines but still highlighted the seriousness of the charges and possible implications for the President.

The sentencing capped a stunning about-face by a lawyer who once said he would “take a bullet” for Mr Trump. Cohen said in a guilty plea in August that he was directed by Mr Trump to make hush money payments to two women who said they had sexual affairs with the President in the past.

Mr Trump has denied the affairs and any involvement in the payments.

Judge Pauley sentenced Cohen to 36 months for the payments and to two months for Cohen’s lies to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia. The two terms will run simultaneously. The judge set March 6 for Cohen’s voluntary surrender.

As part of the sentence, the judge ordered Cohen to forfeit US$500,000 (S$686,000) and pay restitution of nearly US$1.4 million.

Cohen, 52, walked into court with his wife, son and daughter amid a crowd of photographers and reporters. His 23-year-old daughter, Samantha, and 19-year-old son, Jake, both wept silently in the courtroom, the son wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeve. After being sentenced, Cohen walked over to his daughter and kissed her head.

Cohen’s father, Maurice Cohen, who showed little emotion during the hearing, later told reporters: “My heart is ripped.”